Militarised violence presents what is perhaps the most vexing challenge to the achievement of the goal of health for all. While not a member of the UN’s Executive Committee on Peace and Security, WHO is nonetheless positioned to play a crucial peacemaking role in some of the world’s most difficult trouble spots.

From Health in Emergencies Issue 8
The establishment of high quality, functioning acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance - a critical step to polio elimination - is possible in countries affected by emergencies, as shown in the examples of Afghanistan, Angola and Somalia.

The last edition of Field Exchange included an account of discussions on how food aid should be targeted in the siege town of Huambo situated in the Plan Alto region of Angola1. The article illustrated that 6 months of discussions took place before consensus could be reached that there were no advantages to targeting food aid as the entire population experienced a very similar degree of food insecurity.

In the war that broke out again between
the government and the military wing of UNITA in December 1998, the government
army gained the upper hand. Government troops are currently concentrating
on tracking UNITA rebels moving from the central highland through the province
of Moxico to the eastern state border.

ANGOLA: Rebels attack Benguela airport
UNITA gunmen on Thursday attacked a
heavily-guarded civilian airport serving the southern port city of Benguela,
one of Angola's largest cities, AP
reported. UNITA fought a two-hour gun battle with security troops before
kidnapping two guards. The airport lies only 20 km away from the government
army's main military base at Catumbela and about 400 km south of Luanda.

Benguela's airport was severely damaged
during the attack and two planes were hit, witnesses said. UNITA, engaged
in a 25-year war with the MPLA

JOHANNESBURG, 29 December (IRIN) - A
report by the UN's sanctions monitoring team for Angola
has recommended that the Security Council consider action against countries
violating the arms and trade embargo on the UNITA rebel movement, a UN
statement said.
The report released on Thursday by the
Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions pointed out that "in order
for the measures against UNITA to be

New recommendations to prevent violations
of the sanctions against the National Union for the Total Independence
of Angola (UNITA) were published today in a report released at United Nations
Headquarters in New York.

By Bian Zhuodan LUANDA (Dec. 28) XINHUA
- At the turn of the century, the Angolan government has taken a series
of measures to curb malaria, which threatens the lives of many Angolans.

According to the Health Ministry, malaria
remains the first killer disease in the southern African country, particularly
among the children aged below 5 years old. It is reported that some 50
percent of the under-5-year-old children die of the rampant epidemic disease.

CATUMBELA, Angola (AlertNet) -
Drive alongside the railway tracks towards Lobito from Benguela and suddenly,
after passing large areas of dry and unproductive scrub, a burst of luxurious
green appears near the Catumbela river, with maize and other plants sprouting
from rich, irrigated earth.

With USAID support, Angolan orphans from the Gaiatos Home have worked with the U.S. non-governmental organization World Vision to multiply and harvest 11 metric tons of improved- variety maize seed. These seeds have then been used to enable more than 3,600 vulnerable Angolan farm families to begin production again after the disruption of that nation s protracted civil war.

On December 26 (Tue), the Government of
Japan decided to provide 550,000 US dollars, through the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as emergency assistance
for the people of Angola who became internally displaced as a result of
the internal conflict. The assistance from Japan will be used for daily
necessities for the internally displaced persons in Angola, community services
and transportation.

Tokyo (dpa) - The Japanese government
Tuesday pledged 1.36 million dollars in emergency grants to support Eritreans
who have suffered as a result of their country's two-year conflict with
Ethiopia over a border dispute.

The government also decided to provide
550,000 dollars in emergency grants to help Angolan refugees from the civil
war in the strife-torn country, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Kuito, Angola - Two civilians were
killed and four others were injured Wednesday when the lorry carrying them
exploded drove over an anti-tank mine on the road linking the towns of
Cunhinga and Belo-Horizonte, the Press Agency of Angola reported Friday,
quoting an official source.